Vertical current pneumatic separator



Aug. 10, 1948. M. w. REDHEAD ,7

VERTICAL CURRENT PNEUMATIC SEPARATOR Filed Sept. 23, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 10, 1948. M. w. REDHEAD 2,445,736

VERTICAL CURRENT PNEUMATIC SEPARATOR Filed Sept. 25, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q 66 T 59 59 l Aug. 10, 1948. M. w. REDHEAD VERTICAL CURRENT PNEUMATIC SEPARAT OR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 23, 1944 Patented Aug. 10, 1948 VERTICAL CURRENT PNEUMATIC SEPARATOR Melvin W. Redhead, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Vacuum Concentrator Inc., a corporation of Nevada Application September 23, 1944, Serial No. 555,521

4 Claims.

This invention relates to pneumatic separators, and more particularly to that type of separator used for separating and classifying dry matter, and it has as its principal object to provide certain improvements in the separating apparatus shown and described in Letters Patent No. 2,233,432, whereby to overcome, or to eliminate, certain objections and inefficiencies found therein.

Among the salient objects of this invention, therefore, are:

To provide a more open and unobstructed air inflow passageway for the air into and through the lower cylinder of the apparatus;

To provide in the air passageway upwardly through the lower cylinder vanes or webs for the purpose of effecting a more uniform upfiow of the air, and preventing the surging of air in places, and an uneven and irregular movement of the air in other places and the consequent uneven separation and movement of the material passing therethrough;

To provide an improved mounting for the riiiles, whereby, instead of being rigidly secured to the cylinder wall, they are permitted to rest freely upon conically arranged seats provided therefor, and are free to respond to vibrations and thus facilitate the flow movement of the materials thereover;

To provide in connection with a conical arrangement of rifiies, a plurality of air vanes to prevent eddy currents, or cyclonic action, over said riiiies and its interference with the proper separation of the materials being handled;

To provide an improved feed control valve mechanism and means for operating it;

To provide a plurality of feed chutes for the material which discharge from opposite sides and toward each other, thus causing a mixing action of the material as it is fed into the feed chamber, and to the feed control valve;

To provide in a separator of the character referred to a centrifugal cleaning mechanism in the top of the upper cylinder for a final centrifugal cleaning action.

Thus, in the lower cylinder of the mechanism referred to, I have provided what might be referred to as a free settling chamber in which light weight particles remaining in the separated mass after cleaning in the riffle chamber or zone are separated. In the rifile chamber there is what we may refer to as a hindered settling action. In the upper cylinder of said mechanism there is another zone of free settling action operating on the rising mass in a rising resistant medium after 2 said mass leaves the rilile or hindered chamber or zone.

To the above different chambers, I have now added the centrifugal separation as a final cleaning action by the addition of a special zone of vanes so curved as to give the mass and air passing through them a centrifugal action as they pass upwardly into the volute head which discharges into the large cyclone chamber.

Other objects and features will appear from the following description of a practical embodiment of the invention which includes a compactness which makes possible a smaller head room for the exit from the separating chambers or zones above referred to to the volute head.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a pneumatic separator embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is a side elevation thereof looking at the left hand side of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the top volute, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. l, enlarged;

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 'l'! of Fig. 6;

Figure 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Figure 9 is a detail section taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 7;

Figure 10 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line li3lll of the middle portion only of Fig. 6;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line ll-ll of Fig. 10; and

Figure 12 is a cross sectional view taken on line l2-i2 of Fig. 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, I will describe the structure shown therein to illustrate my invention in one practical form or embodiment thereof.

Suitable frame members of angle iron or other desirable supporting structure are shown more or less complete in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and this supporting structure is designated as a Whole by the reference numeral i5 in all places, resting upon a floor It.

A lower outer cylinder I1 is supported therein, with a tapering upper portion l8, merging in an upper outer cylinder l9, and this connects at its upper end with a smaller cylindrical portion 20, terminating in a volute 2 i, again referred to.

Also supported in said frame structure is a large cyclonic settling cylinder or drum 22, with discharge spout 23, at its lower inverted conical or hopper-like discharge end 24, with swinging gates or valves 25, 26 to permit material to move outwardly only therethrough.

suspended in the top of this cylinder or drum is a cylindrical member 21, open at its lower end and at its upper end it is provided with a shallow volute 28, seen in top plan view in Fig. l.

The cylindrical portion 2|), Figs. -6 and .10, extends down into the upper outer cylinder I9, as inner cylinder 20', and is provided in its lower open end with a restricted valve seat structure, designated as a whole 29, with a conical valve 50 therein, on the lower end of a stem 3|, moving in a guide sleeve 32, supported in said inner cylinder 2G by means of a member 33. The upper end of said stem 3| is threaded as at 34, and operates in a threaded sleeve 35, supported by member 35. Said stem 3| is provided with a beveled gear 37, having a sleeve 38, with pin and slot connection at 39 with said stem, whereby to turn said stem for the purpose of moving the valve 30 to and from the valve seat 29, to feed material therethrough.

A beveled gear 40, mountedon a crank shaft 4| through a sleeve bearing 42, as seen in Fig. 6, makes it possible to manually turn said beveled gears for manually adjusting the valve 35 for controlling the feed of material downwardly onto the riffie structure, designated as a whole 43.

Instead of a single feed hopper and chute, I have provided two feed hoppers 44, 44, with chutes 45, 45, leading down into the feed chamber 46, above the valve 30, as clearly seen in Fig. 10. In relation to said feed chamber, the plurality. of chutes shown are circumferentially spaced apart in a symmetrical manner.

Referring to Fig. 10, I will now describe the rifiie chamber or zone. Within the outer lower cylinder I1, and spaced inwardly therefrom, is a concentric lower inner cylinder 41, having a conical top 48, in addition to a ceiling 49, as seen in Fig. 10, the top of said conical top being in the form of a separate conical cap 50, held in place by attaching elements, as 5|, welded or otherwise secured in place.

Mounted on the top of said conical top 48, are four step-like members, as 52, something like the supporting members for the steps of stairs, and upon these members 52, the riiiie rings 53 are placed, being successively larger from above downwardly, as will be understood, and overlying each other, with air circulating spaces therebetween, as indicated by the arrows, so that air moving upwardly in the annular space 54 between the lower outer cylinder l1 and said inner lower cylinder 41, will move upwardly and inwardly over and under and between said rilile rings 53. Also mounted above said riflle rings 53, are four vanes as 55 to prevent surging or whirling of the air moving upwardly and inwardly above the rifiies and between said vanes or webs 55.

I have also indicated how a vibrator of any desired form can be provided, as at 55, Fig. 10, whereby, if desired at times, to provide mechanical vibration to said riflle structure.

Referring to Fig. 6, I have provided on the outside of the lower inner cylinder 41, a series of longitudinally extending spaced and staggered ribs or vanes, as 51, 5B, nearly to prevent any tendency of air passing upwardly in the annular space 54 from whirling or moving spirally in its upward course between the lower outer cylinder I! and the lower inner cylinder 41, as before referred to. It will be noted that I have made the lower edges of said outer and inner cylinders of flaring form, as at 59, to facilitate the inflow of air to said annular space 54, so that such air inflow will be adequate for the intended purpose notwithstanding the narrowness of said annular space in relation to the diameter of the inner cylinder 41.

Directly under the lower outer and inner cylinders, in the floor I6, I have shown a hopperlike member 60, to receive any coarse or heavy matter which is not carried upwardly by the air currents moving upwardly through the apparatus, as again referred to.

Referring now to Fig. 6, and to the juncture of the upper outer cylinder l9 with the inner cylinder 202il', and to the sectional view in Fig. 8, taken on the line 88, there is provided a series of open slots, as 6|, 6|, with inwardly projecting, curved wings 62, 52, with a conical floor 53 below the same in said inner cylinder 20', as seen in Figs. 6 and 8. Said wings 62 are all deflected in the same circumferential direction so as to create a whirling movement to the air passing upwardly therethrough, as indicated by the arrows.

The annular space between the outer cylinder l9 and the inner cylinder 20 is also provided with short spaced webs, as 64. and will be understood by reference to the cross sectional view in Fig. 12, taken on the line |2-|2 through the valve mechanism.

The supporting bands 65, for supporting the outer lower cylinders and the entire cylinder structure will be understood by reference to Fig. 7, where said bands 65 and their fastenings 66 are clearly shown, both upper and lower bands. These bands in turn are secured to the supporting frame structure I5 by straps, as l5.

Referring now to the top structure of the separator, it will be seen that the air passing upwardly in the upper cylinder 20 passes with a whirling motion into the volute 2|, and with a clock-wise movement moves into the large cyclonic drum or cylinder 22, with a continuing clock-wise movement around the inner cylinder 21, as indicated by the arrows, Fig. 6, and thence upwardly through said inner cylinder 21 to the top thereof, which terminates in a shallow volute 28, seen in horizontal section in Fig. 4, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2. The tangential branch 28' of this member 28 underlies its closed top and will be connected with a suction fan or pump (not shown) for creating the suction upwardly through the several cylinders from the entrance at 59, between the lower outer and inner cylinders. The suction will, of course, be regulated or controlled, as may be required for the matter being handled, in any well known manner.

It is understood, of course, that valve means Will be used to regulate the air pressure, as may be desired for the particular materials being separated, and that a manometer, or other known instrument will be used to indicate the pressure, whereby to more effectively regulate and control the pressure so as to get the best results. We have indicated in a general way such valve or damper means, designated 61, and a manometer is designated 68. As these are well known in the art, no further description thereof need be made.

I do not limit my invention to the details of construction and arrangement of the improved features here shown for explanatory purposes, knowing that changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, except as I may be limited by a fair construction of the claims herewith and forming a part of this application.

I claim:

1. In a pneumatic separator, outer and inner upstanding cylinders spaced to provide an annular air passageway upwardly therebetween, vanes therein extending lengthwise of said cylinders and positioned substantially parallel to the axis to said cylinders to control the air movement therethrough with respect to its circumferential movement, a series of riiile rings spaced one above the other in pyramidal form over said inner cylinder, to receive air currents upwardly therebetween from said annular air passageway, partition vanes above said riflie rings, extending substantially radial to said axis, and valve-controlled means for feeding matter to be separated downwardly over said riifie rings, whereby upflowing air currents through said riffle rings and said matter will separate lighter matter from heavier matter.

2. In a pneumatic separator, outer and inner cylinders spaced to provide an annular air passageway upwardly therebetween, means forming an extension of said annular passageway upwardly therefrom and of smaller diameter, a series of rifile rings spaced one above the other in pyramidal form over said inner cylinder and under the annular passageway of smaller diameter longitudinally extending circumferentially staggered vanes in the first recited annular air passageway extending substantially parallel to the axis of said cylinders to control the air movement therethrough radially extending vanes over said riiile rings and between the lower annular air passageway and the smaller annular passageway to control rotary air movement, valve-controlled means for feeding matter to be separated said means being surrounded by said smaller annular passageway and discharging on to said riffle rings below, whereby upflowing air currents from said annular air passageway through said riiiie rings and said matter moving downwardly thereover, will separate lighter matter from heavier matter, according to the strength of said air current.

3. In a pneumatic separator of the character referred to, in combination, a conical supporting top, a plurality of step-like members thereon from top to bottom, a series of riiile rings placed one above the other and resting freely upon the steps of said step-like supporting members, in pyramidal form, the lower part of said structure being positioned to receive upflow currents of air under and through said rifiie rings, radial partition vanes spaced around said rifile rings having inclined inner edges opposed to said rings, and valve-controlled means for feeding matter to be separated downwardly over said riiiie rings to be intercepted by upflowing air currents for saparation in the manner described.

4. In a pneumatic separator of the character described, outer and inner upstanding cylinders spaced to provide an annular air passageway upwardly between them, a series of riflie rings spaced one above the other in pyramidal form over said inner cylinder/to receive upward air currents between them from said annular passageway; and controlled means for feedin matter to be separated downwardly over said riiiles so that upflowing air currents through said annular passageway and through said riflies and the material moving downwardly over them will separate lighter matter from heavier matter, said inner cylinder having a closed top wall underlying said pyramidal riflle arrangement, said inner cylinder having a relatively large diameter in relation to the width of said annular space, and a plurality of radial vanes adjacent said riffle rings and having inclined edges disposed in close proximity to said rings,

MELVIN W. REDHEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 38,258 Clark Apr. 21, 1863 219,420 Wakeman Sept. 9, 1879 884,551 Wright Apr. 14, 1908 1,522,151 Stebbins Jan. 6, 1925 1,799,010 Farris Mar. 31, 1931 1,845,358 Stebbins Feb. 16, 1932 2,099,505 Weaver Nov. 16, 1937 2,153,270 Osgood Apr. 4, 1939 2,233,432 Schramm Mar. 4, 1941 2,236,548 Pronty Apr. 1, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 582,746 France Oct. 20, 1924 

